Princess of the Butterflies
by Flowerpuff
Summary: Naruto and team 8 has a mission, to escort a princess back to her kingdom. What seemed like an easy mission turns into something more. Something strange is going on with the princess's best friend Riko. They are hiding something...
1. Chapter 1

Patience please, is what I shall ask you for before I can move forward with my story. I must step back in time so I may set the tone of the day when the birth of the King's second child. First born being a boy, the second, nobody knew and the kingdom was a buzz with excitement.

It was late in the night and the crescent moon hung high in the star filled sky. The King paced back and forth outside the room where the birth of the new royal infant is being held. He felt anxious, his stomach in knots. His son walked up to him and innocently tugged on his fathers robe. The king looked down to the six year old boy.

"When will I see my new baby brother daddy?" The child asked.

The king just smiled and patted him on the head. Ruffling the child's short, black hair a bit then continued his pacing.

Inside the birth room, the royal doctor continued to shout out orders to the nurses and continue with his work.

The queen however was going through the worst experience of her life. Of course she has done this once before but this time it was different. The feeling was more uncomfortable and the pain was excruciating. But to top it off it felt like there was a fire inside of her. The strange sensation was unbearable but it also felt warm in a relaxing way.

"Just one more push!" The doctor said demandingly. "You can do it your heinous!"

Sweat dripped from her face. She gave it one last sharp push.

A high pitch scream of a woman was heard throughout the castle. It echoed throughout the hallways and in the king's ears. He turned on his heals and faced the door. The worry for the love of his life was unbearable.

Back inside of the birth room, the sound of infant screaming was heard. The doctor held the small package in his arms. "It's… a girl!" He said cheerfully. But there was something else that caught his eye. His eyes widened.

The king continued to pace back and forth. His son watched him intensely. Then the door opened. The king turned his attention to the doctor standing in the doorway. He waited for the medicine man to speak.

"You …may come in and see your new child. But the queen is very weak so make your visit short." He bowed and moved aside to let the king walk through.

The large man walked straight up to his wife lying on the bed, holding a bundle of blankets in her fair arms. She smiled faintly and removed the blanket from the baby's face.

The young prince walked up to his father's side and stared at the new comer's fragile face. "Is that my new brother?" He asked innocently.

His mother shook her head. "No Yuki… this is your new sister."

The boy's eyes widened. "My sister?" He was disappointed. The prince wanted a brother.

The queen nodded and looked down at her daughter. The baby was so small and so delicate. Strangely enough, it seemed that the new princess was glowing. The queen just though of it to be a side affect after the long labour she had just endured.

The king held out his hand to the infant who innocently grabbed on to his pinky. The baby wasn't even able to wrap around the mans finger with such petit hands. And then for the first time, the girl opened her eyes.

The king was taken by surprise to the princess's eye colour. He looked closely. He wasn't wrong about this; the infant's eyes were purple. This was a little strange to him because his whole family bared bright blue eyes. Even his wife's eyes were the colour of the sky.

The queen found it to be the perfect opportunity to break the news to her husband. "Dear, look at the child's stomach." She removed the blanket from the infant's body.

The king's eyes widened. He stumbled back and fell into a chair near the bed. "So this means…"

The queen nodded.

The prince was very confused. What was going on with his parents? He walked up closer to the bed and took a better look at what laid on the baby's stomach. There he saw, wrapped around the belly button, was a birth mark. But this particular birth mark was coincidently shaped as the crescent moon that shone over the castle that very night.

Now how does this tie in with the story?

Well now I will begin the story of the mission that four children will endure. Around the age of 13, the four young ninjas prepared themselves for yet another assignment given from the Hokage.

Team 8 walked down the hallway to the Hokage's office. No regard to what they are going to be assigned to do but they were ready. This team has gone threw many missions before hand, so this was a normal day for them in the village of Kohona.

One of the boys knocked on the door to the Hokage's room.

"Enter." Said the voice of a woman.

The three of them entered the room and lined up in front of the Hokage. The woman nodded at the three and sat down behind her desk. She folded her hands and scanned the group's faces. "I have a mission for you three."

They saw that coming. Why else would they be here? They waited patiently for the Hokage to continue.

"I need you to escort the princess of Itabinei back to her kingdom no matter what."

"Princess?" The young girl with dark hair and the symbol of the Hyuuga clan on her shoulder asked quietly.

The Hokage nodded. "This mission requires four men. So…" She drawn a shirdecan from her sleeve and threw it to the ceiling.

A young boy crashed through the ceiling and landed right in front of the group. He rubbed his head. "Dam you old lady." The boy said through his teeth.

The shy girls face shaded a reddish hue. The young boy stood up and brushed dust off his orange jump suit. He straightened his headband that held the symbol of the leaf village.

"Naruto will accompany you three on this mission." The Hokage said calmly, ignoring the 'old lady' remark.

"Aw but I have training to do! This is unfair!" The boy pouted.

"Yea why does this idiot have to come?" The boy with a dog on his head asked. The creature barked in agreement.

The Hokage was starting to get really annoyed. "He will join you and that's that!" She straightened her posture and became calm once again. "Shino… you will be the leader."

The boy with sunglasses nodded.

"WHAT!? That creepy guy!?" The blond hair boy didn't like this at all.

The tip of the Hokage's ears turned red. Her short temper was getting the better of her. Is it that today hasn't been the best of days? Or is it just this one child with the blonde spiky hair and the personality of a 6 year old? "YES! Shino will be the leader! Whether you like it or not Naruto. You have been weaseling your way into missions all the time. Everyone else is gone so you guys are the only ones that are available. So you are going and that's that."

And that was it. There was no use arguing now. "Fine…" he grumbled.

The Hokage stood up and handed a map to Shino. It was marked with a path way through a forest. Mountains were not far away. It seemed like a two day journey. Shino tucked it into his pocket and nodded to the Hokage.

"Now you will find the princess waiting outside." She pointed to the door to gesture their leave. The five children did so and closed the door behind them. The Hokage sighed and continued with her papers.

It was a silent walk down the halls and down the stairs. The boy with blonde hair on his head marched in front of the group. The mousy girl couldn't help but watch the obnoxious boy's every movement. A reddish hue brushed on her cheeks.

The awkward silence ended when they made it to the bottom and saw in front of them a beautiful white horse with a girl sitting elegantly on top. A fair sized basket hung from the horse's side. The group could tell right away that this girl was the princess they will be guarding. She slowly slid off the horse with the help of a cloaked figure who held out its hand to guide the princess to the ground safely.

The princess wore a simple but colourful dress that hung past her knees. Her face was bright and her skin was pale and smooth. Her green hair sat on her shoulders but two long braids came from the back. Her smile was warm and her eyes the colour of the sky.

The group bowed to show their respect. The princess studied her new bodyguards. "Hello." Her voice had a melody to it, which the boys would never forget.

"Hello." They said back.

The princess walked closer to the group. "My name is Princess Itabinei Yumi. You may just call me Yumi."

----  
**HIYAZZ! so this is the first chapter of my OC story. hope u like it so far it gets good :O**


	2. Chapter 2

"My name is Kiba." The boy with the dog on his head introduced himself. "This is Hinata, Shino and Naruto." He pointed to his teammates. The dog barked down at Kiba. "And this is Akamaru." He said pointing to the creature perched on his head.

The princess giggled and petted Akamaru. The dog barked cheerfully as the girl stroked his cream coloured fur.

Kiba blushed slightly.

"Hmpft." Naruto crossed his arms. He watched the cloaked stranger closely. He was curious of who this person may be. "Hey!" He shouted at the figure.

Everyone followed Naruto's stare. The group got a good look at the stranger. It wore a cloak that hid its feet and the hood hid its face. The mysterious character took its place beside the princess.

"This is my dear friend Riko." The princess said, referring to the figure.

The person raised its head and the light lit its features. It was a girl. No older then the princess. Black bangs hung in front of the girl's eyes. For a second there it seemed that her eyes shone a bright purple. "Yo." She said to the group.

"What's with the cloak?" Naruto asked curiously.

Riko just ignored him. "Can we get going now?" She said to the princess.

Yumi nodded and made her way back onto the horse, Riko by her side.

"What a beautiful horse." Hinata said quietly.

"Thank you." The princess stroked the horse.

"She's a rare breed." Riko said. "Her name is Hotaru."

And so their mission began. As the group exited the village and continued down the road shown on the map, the awkward silence hung over them all.

Shino and Kiba walked in front of the princess and her mysterious friend. Naruto and Hinata walked behind them.

Hinata felt very uncomfortable. She twiddled with her thumbs and constantly glanced over to Naruto who just walked straight ahead in his own little world. She blushed when Naruto would look over to her. She would quickly look back to the ground.

_Strange girl._ Naruto would think.

The silence was too unbearable for Riko though. She hated silence, and she had to do something about it. Riko looked up to her friend. "This is boring." She whispered.

The princess giggled. "You think anything's boring. And besides…" She blushed slightly. "I think that Kiba boy and the blond hair boy are… cute."

Riko rolled her eyes at her friend. "You are such a boy freak."

"Am not." The princess protested.

"You definitely are." Riko looked ahead of her at the stoic boy named Shino. He was the quietist of the bunch.

"Oh yea look at you." The princess teased. "Staring at that boy are ya now?"

Riko quickly reverted her eyes away from the boy and looked over to her best friend. "What are you talking about? That boy creeps me out." Riko sighed.

Up at the front Akamaru barked down at Kiba. He smiled slyly. "The princess says I'm cute." He said proudly. "And that one chick thinks you're creepy."

Shino just starred ahead.

"I don't blame her. You are a creepy fellow." Kiba teased.

"If that's her opinion of me then I can't do anything about it." The stoic boy said.

Kiba sighed. "You are no fun."

Riko leaned in closer to her friend. "Why did we get these guys anyways? What if they find out?" She whispered.

The princess frowned. "How can they? Trust me this will be over and done with quickly."

Riko didn't believe that. A strange un-easy feeling filled her. Riko just shook it off and marched up to the two boys.

"Heya!" She said cheerfully.

Kiba looked over to the hooded girl. "Hey."

"So…" Riko tried to think of a conversation. "What's the deal with the girl? Does she like that blond haired boy? Or what."

"What is it to you?" Kiba asked. Akamaru nodded.

"Just curious." Riko turned to Shino and tried to get him to talk. "So your in charge of this whole thing right?"

"Yes."

"Awesome…" What can she say? Riko thought up something quickly. "So you guys are genins right?"

Kiba nodded. "Right. Why'd you ask?"

"Just wondering." It was silent for a while once again. Riko threw her hands in the air. "Man! You guys are boring! I'm trying my luck with the two back there."

Riko walked backwards 'till she was walking side by side with Hinata and Naruto. "Hey wassup?"

Naruto just looked over to the girl. "Why do you wear a cloak?"

Riko glared at the boy. "Why? Do you not trust a person in a cloak?"

"Hmpft." Naruto looked away and continued to walk forward silently. Riko tried her luck on Hinata. "So your name is Hinata right?"

Hinata nodded.

"Don't say much do you?" Riko asked.

"Um… well not really." She said quietly.

"Pity..." Riko leaned over closer to Hinata. "You like him or something?" She whispered.

Hinata's face went bright red. She couldn't find any words to say.

"Though so." Riko said naturally. "Well good luck."

There journey continued like this for another hour. Then another hour. Then another. Time started to pass by quickly as Riko roamed from one person to another trying to start up a conversation. Giving up after the first hour, she returned to her best friend's side.

The silence was broken by the sound of rumbling. Everyone turned to Naruto who blushed slightly, holding his stomach. "I'm hungry."

The princess giggled. "Well then we shall stop for some lunch."

"Is that alright with you Shino?" Riko asked teasingly.

Shino nodded.

Turning off the road, the group settled down and got out there snacks. The princess descended from her horse and unhooked the basket from Hotaru. Yumi carried the package over to the group and took her seat on a carefully placed blanket that Riko laid there.

Yumi opened the basket and started laying out food. The food looked delicious. Some foods that team 8 had never even seen before. Varieties of treats that would make anyone drool at the site of it. Well… Naruto and Kiba were drooling.

The princess giggled at the site of the two boys faces. "Have some if you like. There is plenty here for everyone."

"Really?!" The two boys asked.

Yumi nodded.

Naruto and Kiba crawled over to the buffet and started to eat anything they could get there hands on. Akamaru joined in.

The princess's face brightened with delight. She smiled warmly at the obnoxious two.

Hinata just stood there blinking at the boys. "Um… may I have some?" She asked quietly, fiddling with her fingers.

"Of course you can." Yumi said.

Hinata smiled and joined them.

Shino looked over to Riko. Her expression caught him off guard. She was frowning. Riko felt the stare of Shino's eyes. "What are you looking at?" She snapped.

"Nothing." He said looking back down at his teammates stuffing there faces, all except for Hinata and the princess who were delicately putting food into there mouths. His vision was blocked by Riko who just walked right in front of him. He looked up at her.

"Do you always wear those sunglasses?" She asked studying his face.

The group of people eating turned away from their meal and looked up at Riko and Shino.

"Yes." The stoic boy said calmly.

"Can I take them off?" She said as she reached for them.

Shino quickly grabbed her wrists in mid air. "No." His voice was sharp and it stabbed Riko in the heart.

"Why not?" She asked while struggling to grab those pair of sunglasses.

The two of them wrestled with there hands. Riko pushing forward to try and take the glasses off and Shino pushing away. This went on for a while. The group forgot about their food and watched the show.

"Look they're holding hands." Kiba said teasingly. Naruto laughed and the princess giggled.

Shino quickly dropped Riko's wrists and turned away.

"I'll get those glasses off sooner or later!" Riko shouted. She was pissed, who new such a quiet boy like Shino can get her so worked up for.


	3. Chapter 3

They went on with their lunch. Riko sat there on the cool green grass. Shino not to far off sipping some tea Yumi prepared a while ago. Riko ran her fingers between the blades and sighed to herself. A little ant tore across her hand. Its many legs tickled her skin.

Riko giggled, watching the insect make its journey across her hand. Once again being watched carefully by Shino.

Two more ants joined their friend on Riko's hand. Her giggled turned into a laughter that caught everyone's attention. As they all turned to look what the cloaked girl was laughing at, her hood slid from her head exposing her face.

This would have been the first time they saw her face fully. Her straight black hair fell past her shoulders. Her features just as delicate and soft as the princess's. Yes she was very beautiful, maybe even more beautiful as the princess. Her violet eyes twinkled in the sunlight.

Riko stopped her laughter and looked over to the group who were all staring at her intensely. The princess smiled at her friend's expression.

Riko's face went completely red and she quickly hid her face once again with her hood. "What are you all looking at?!" She yelled while standing up, her arms by her side, her hands as fists.

"Chill spaz." Kiba said taking another bite of his last rice ball.

"Don't call me spaz!"

The princess clapped her hands. Everyone's attention was now on her. "Let us pack up and get moving again shall we?"

They all nodded and packed away their things. Getting back on the horse, the princess led the group back onto the road and they continued there way to the kingdom.

Their formation was the same as usual. Shino and Kiba at the front and Hinata and Naruto at the back. Riko was pouting by the princess's side.

"Now, now." The princess comforted.

Riko just sighed.

"You shouldn't be like that. Be proud of your beauty. You are prettier then me. After all you are the-"

"SHH!" Riko snapped.

"Oops." The princess covered her mouth. "Forgive me."

Riko shrugged. "Whatever…"

The group of children stopped at a fork in the road. Shino pointed down a small pathway into a forest. The princess nodded and they continued there journey down that narrow road.

The blue sky slowly became darker as the sun started to set. Stars started to peek out from the darkness. The group agreed to set camp for the night in this tiny opening of land in the thick forest.

The sun still low in the sky, the group brought out their sleeping bags and lit a nice warm fire. The princess tied up the horse to a tree, giving it a loving stroke before joining the group again. Riko held out her hands and felt the warmth prickle her fingers. She shivered as her body temperature started to change. She was in much needed of this heat; it was starting to get very cold out.

Riko looked over her shoulder, watching the princess attempt to put up her tent. She struggled with the poles. Trying to put it throw one of the loops, Yumi sighed in disappointment.

"Lemme help."

Yumi turned to see Kiba standing beside her. He walked up and took the pool from her hands. Yumi stepped back and watched the master at work. Hinata walked up and pitched in as well. Yumi embarrassed of her lack of pitching a tent skills, she blushed slightly.

Over by the fire Riko felt envious, no longer paying attention to the fire which was starting to burn her hands. Riko snapped back to real life and noticed that her hands throbbed with pain. She screamed and jumped back from the fire, landing on her but.

Everyone turned away from what they were doing and rushed to Riko's aid.

"I'm fine." She said gripping her hand. She bit her bottom lip. "Just a little warm is all." She looked up to everyone's worried faces.

"Are you sure…" Said Yumi reaching out her hand.

"I'M FINE!" Riko stood up and marched over to her sleeping bag. Everyone's eyes watched her closely.

Riko winced slightly as she brushed her finger tips across the burn. Everyone studied her carefully.

Realizing what was going on, Yumi quickly stood in front of everyone's view of Riko. "So er… shall we go to bed now? Heh heh."

Everyone just exchanged glances, shrugged, and then tucked themselves in for bed. Riko, still sitting on her sleeping bag, studied her now healed hand.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that night when everyone was fast asleep and in their dream lands, the crescent moon high in the sky. The princess slept inside her now pitched tent, everyone else was scattered in front of it. Shino's slumber was disturbed though by the sound of someone sneaking through their camp. Or rather, someone sneaking out.

He laid there silently, watching the silhouette tip toe past his teammates and then disappear through the bushes. He sat up slightly, wondering who that person was. It was to dark for him to tell, so he got up accordingly and followed in the stranger's footsteps.

Having no idea where he was going, the forest being as thick as it is, Shino jumped up into the trees to get a better look of where this stranger was leading him to. He jumped branch to branch, hoping that this was the direction where the silhouette was going. Then he came to a stop, staring out to what looks like another opening in the forest. He stared through his sunglasses at the silhouette from earlier who stood in the middle of the opening.

He perched on the branch in silence. Watching as the stranger slowly removed its hood from its head. Shino mentally smacked himself. It was Riko. Of course it was Riko, the stranger was wearing a cloak and was sneaking out of camp. Shino was about to turn away and take his leave but Riko's movement distracted him.

Riko's arms made slow but smooth movements. Moving her feet to different stances and moving her arms to different positions. It looked like she was practicing a certain kata but it also looked like she was performing ballet. It seemed like she was glowing, but he just though of it to be the moon which shone down on her from above.

A strange feeling coursed through his body. It was like he was being hypnotized, caught in some sort of trance. He tried to move but found it to be impossible. His arms felt as heavy as lead and his feet felt to be bolted to the tree. He struggled, trying to break through.

Then as quick as a flash, a kunai knife was thrown right at him. He couldn't move, he was stuck. The knife flew right above him and stuck into the tree. Bits of his hair floated down in front of him. Then as quick as the knife, Riko appeared right in front of Shino. She perched on the branch face to face with the quiet boy who was spying on her.

Her expression was harsh. She looked furious. Shino just sat there in silence as Riko crawled over and pulled the knife out of the tree above him. There faces an inch away from each other.

"Stalker." She said.

Shino stared into her eyes through his glasses. He still couldn't move, and he couldn't say anything.

Riko sighed then looked away. She sat on the branch, swinging her legs from under her.

Shino suddenly snapped out of his trance. He rose his arm up and flexed his hand in front of his face, testing if he could move again. "What did you just do to me?" He asked, still flexing his hand.

"Why were you stalking me pervert?" She said, ignoring his question.

"Don't change the subject, and I was stalking you." He lowered his hand and studied Riko. Her hood was still down, and her expression had changed.

"You were surely spying on me."

That part was true and Shino knew that. "I wouldn't have been if you didn't freeze me on the spot like that." He watched her face carefully, why was she frowning like that?

Riko raised herself to her feet. She balanced to the end of the branch then stepped off, landing on her feet at the bottom. Shino jumped down as well, landing behind her. "Answer my question. How did you freeze all my muscles like that?"

Riko turned around and faced the determined boy. "That was your own fault."

"How so?"

Riko sighed. "Why did you follow me here?"

Shino was getting annoyed. She just kept changing the subject on him. "Well I thought you were a threat. I guess I was wrong." He said casually.

Riko clenched her fists. Shino was pushing the right buttons to start a fight. "Well aren't you glad you found out?" She snapped.

"Yes."

His calmness really pissed Riko off. Her blood boiled, her face turned red. Riko swung an open hand to his face but only to be stopped in its path. He gripped her wrist.

"This is the hand you burned right?" He asked studying her hand.

Riko tried to pull away but he held on tightly. "I don't see any burn marks on it. Were you faking for attention?"

Riko started to shake all over. She clenched her hands into fists. Her face was hidden in a shadow. No words would do what she felt like justice. Shino started to lower her arm but it was too late.

The wind got knocked out of him as Riko's foot made contact with his stomach. Sending him backwards, dragging his feet across the ground. He never suspected such power in that girls kick. He stopped and tried to catch his breath once again, holding his stomach.

Riko raised her head. Her face wet with tears. "SHUT UP! YOU KNOW NOTHING!" She shouted then dashed away into the trees.

_Good job Shino. _He thought to himself. _She's_ _a little over dramatic though… _

Thinking she went back to camp, Shino did so as well. He walked in silence, in his own thoughts back to his sleeping bag, only to be watched carefully by a large black bird, perched on a nearby tree.


	5. Chapter 5

Its large, yellow eye became clouded over by a milky graze. It blinked and tilted its head.

Akamaru slowly opened his eyes and pointed his nose in the air, catching the sent to an unfamiliar visitor. He turned and nudged Kiba with his nose, trying to wake the sleeping ninja. He whimpered in his ear.

"Nuh…" Kiba moaned as he turned his body over top of Akamaru, crushing the poor dog.

Shino walked over and poked Kiba. "Get up, pay attention to your dog." He hissed in Kiba's ear.

Akamaru struggled out from Kiba's body weight. "Ten more minutes…" Kiba mumbled.

Akamaru growled at his master. He needed to warm him and there was only one way to wake him up.

"YOW!" Kiba screamed, sitting bolt upright. He rubbed his hand that Akamaru just chomped on. "What was that for?!"

Akamaru barked at the clueless boy. Kiba's eyes widened. "Really?" He looked around but couldn't find anything. He pointed his nose to the air sniffed around as well. He couldn't smell anything unusual. "Akamaru are you sure? I can't smell anything strange."

Akamaru nodded. He was sure that he smelt something strange earlier.

The large black bird soared high in the night sky. Its yellow eyes searched the area of trees. Then he found what it was looking for and dove down into the forest.

Two men hid in the bushes not far off from the camp site of the young ninjas. The largest man held out his arm and the black bird soared down, taking its place on the man's arm. The bird walked up and perched on the man's shoulder. It seemed to be whispering in the man's ear.

"Oh I see…" The man said.

"What she say?" The smaller man asked.

"Hitomi said that there are four ninjas with the princess. There is also a dog that spotted Hitomi so she had to flee." He said while stroking the large black bird. "This will be harder then we thought. We need to grab the princess without causing a fight and get her to the master A.S.A.P."

The smaller one nodded. "But how will we do that? If there are four of them and a dog… it's pretty much impossible." He thought for a moment. "Are they awake?" He asked the bird.

The bird nodded.

"Dam…"

Just then they heard sobbing not far off. It sounded like it was getting closer. Just then a cloaked figure appeared from the bushes, rubbing its eyes. It was a young girl and she was crying.

"Stupid Shino… stupid, stupid…huh?" The figure looked up and noticed the two men staring at her. Before she could say a word the smaller man appeared behind her a put a cloth to her mouth. The girl's vision started to go dark. She was being drugged.

Her body went limb as she passed out in the man's arms. "Great! What are we going to do with her?" The man asked, starting to get pissed by their situation.

The bird squawked at the larger man. "Hitomi says that… that girl was with the princess. She heard that that girl is her best friend." A smile formed on the man's lips. "This is perfect!"

"How?" Asked the confused man, still holding the girl.

"This solves our problem. The master said that the princess would give her life for anyone. And this girl is the princess's best friend, so…"

"We will ask for a trade!"

The men nodded in agreement. This was a great idea and it was their only hope of getting the princess without a fight. 

Back at the camp, still late in the night, Akamaru gave up on the scent he smelled earlier and curled back into a ball and fell asleep. Shino sat on his sleeping bag in his own thoughts while Kiba stretched out his arms and yawned.

"Time to go back to sleep…" He said while scratching the back of his head. Just when he was about to lie down beside Akamaru he heard a loud 'SQUAK' close by. He turned his head and saw a large black bird perched on a nearby branch. It seemed to have a piece of paper tied to its foot. Shino too noticed this and got to his feet.

Akamaru woke up and stood in fighting stance, growling at the disturbing bird. "Really?" Kiba asked Akamaru. "This is the bird you smelled before?"

Shino cautiously walked up to the bird and untied the small paper from its foot. The bird squawked then took of into the air. Shino furrowed his eyebrows while reading the note.

"What?" Kiba asked.

Shino read the note aloud.

'_We have the princess's friend in captive. To get her back alive you must meet us at crane's peak and make a trade. The girl for the princess. Do not try any funny business or we will kill the girl._

_Meet us at sunrise with the princess.'_

"Dam…" Kiba said under his breath. He got to his feat and walked over to Naruto and Hinata who were still sound asleep. He nudged them to wake them up.

"Huh?" Hinata rubbed her eyes and sat up.

Naruto rolled to his side, snoring. Kiba closed his hand to a fist and punched Naruto on the head. Naruto sat bolt upright rubbing his wound. "Why did you hit me?" He asked half asleep.

Shino walked over to them. He handed the note to Hinata. Naruto read over her shoulder.

"WHAT?!" Naruto jumped up. His sudden outburst scared the horse which started rearing, pulling on the rope.

All this commotion woke the princess, who climbed out from her tent, rubbing her eyes. "What's going on?" She asked getting to her feet.

Hinata turned to the princess. She frowned and handed the note to her.

Naruto clenched his fists. "Those bastards… why would they take Riko?!"

"To get the princess." Kiba asked, also not pleased with this situation.

Everyone looked over to Yumi. She stood there in silence skimming the note over and over again.

"W-what should we do?" Hinata asked, turning to Shino.

Shino thought for a moment. "The Hokage said to deliver the princess no matter what so-"

"NO!" Naruto interrupted. "WE HAVE TO SAVE HER!"

Shino glared at Naruto. "That was our orders."

"I don't care!" Naruto shouted. "We have to think of something. We can't leave Riko out there to die."

Hinata looked from Shino to Naruto. Personally she agreed with Naruto.

Shino shook his head. "Our orders were to deliver the princess in time no matter what and we will do so."

Naruto clenched his fists. "That guy…" He said under his breath.

Hinata and Kiba stood there in silence but the princess had no choice. She had to say something, and she knew just what to say.

Shino studied their faces. "Now lets get packed up and-"

"Wait…" The princess said, looking to the ground.

Everyone turned to her.

"We have to go get her." She said silently.

"But our orders were-"

"I KNOW WHAT THE ORDERS WERE!" Everyone jumped. They didn't see that sudden out burst coming. The princess calmed down. Everyone watched as she slowly raised her hand up to her head. Her fingers wrapped around her green hair. Everyone gasped.

"The thing is…" She spoke as she slowly removed the wig from her head. "I am not the princess." She removed the wig completely, exposing her true long, black hair. She had the same hair as Riko. "My name is Riko."


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone was confused. "What?!" Naruto walked right up to Riko's face. "YOU are Riko? But… why? When?"

Kiba shook his head. "I don't believe this. This is a joke right?"

Riko shook her head. "Yumi and I have been friends since childhood. My father was the royal cook. Everyone said we look a lot alike… that we could be sisters." Riko sighed and looked down to the green wig in her hands. "Yumi hated being the princess. She hated all the attention. She kept saying to me that she wanted to live my life, to be free."

"So you're saying… you switched places your whole life?" Naruto was confused.

Riko shook her head once again. "No. Yumi came up with an idea for us to switch places when she didn't want to do something. I enjoyed the pamper life so she would say it would be a favor to me." Riko smiled as she remembered back when they were just kids.

"_My father is holding a big banquet with all his friends." The young Yumi sighed. "I hate those things… nothing but old men surrounding you and treating you like you're already the queen."_

_The young Riko smiled at her friend. "But all that food."_

"_Meh." Yumi leaned on the wall. "So you wanna switch?" _

_Riko nodded._

Everyone watched Riko in silence. "When you were assigned this mission, Yumi didn't want to be guarded. So… we switched."

"I don't believe that Ri- I mean YUMI could be a PRINCESS." Kiba crossed his arms. "I mean… you are really kind and warm hearted. You're perfect for a princess but Yumi-"

"You saying Yumi isn't kind?" Riko glared at Kiba. "You don't know her. You have no right to say that. No right at all." She snapped.

Kiba stepped back. "I-I'm sorry…"

Naruto's eyes widened. "So… that means… those men have the princess!"

"But they don't know it." Shino said.

Kiba looked over to Shino, a smile on his face. "Oh I know that tone. That's an 'I have a plan' tone isn't it Shino?"

Shino looked over to Riko. A plan was forming in his head. "Put that wig back on."

Meanwhile on top of Crane's peak, a mountain not far from the camping site, the two masked men were pacing back and forth waiting for the group to show up. Yumi laid a few meters away, waking up from the drug.

She struggled to get up, only to find out that her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were bounded together. She looked up at the two impatient men.

"Dam them… they better come with the princess or master will have our heads!" The one man said.

Yumi struggled to get her hands free but the more she moved her hands the tighter the wrists got. They started to cut into her skin. Yumi winced from the pain.

"Hey… the girls up." The man pointed to Yumi who stopped trying to get free. She stared up at the men with disgust. "Hey don't give me that look. You should be honored. We are using you to get the princess back." He smiled.

Yumi's eyes widened. _Riko…_ She thought. _I can't let you risk your life like that…_"Hey!" Yumi shouted to the men.

They looked over to her.

"You guys are idiots." She said smugly. "You don't realize that you have the princess right here?"

"What?"

Yumi shook her head. "I am disappointed that you guys can even be ninjas. You don't need to go through all that trouble because I am th-" She was cut off as the smaller man stepped on her head, pushing the girls faces into the rocky ground below.

"I dare ya… I DARE YOU TO CALL ME AN IDIOT AGAIN!" Fury built inside him as he pushed her face deeper into the ground, the rocks cutting at her face. "You brat." He said between his teeth.

Yumi turned her head and gasped for air. Blood dripped from her cut face. "Listen to me…" She had to tell them that she was the princess so Riko wouldn't get hurt.

"I said shut up!" The man lifted his foot up once more for a final pound.

"Stop!" The larger man pulled him off the girl. "We need her alive! Remember?"

"Se insulted me! I have to make her shut up." The smaller man clenched his fist and glared at the girl.

"Fine…" The larger man walked over to Yumi. He lifted her head up and tied a cloth around her mouth, gagging her and enabling her to speak. He dropped her head and turned away from her. Yumi's head hit the ground hard, she winced in pain.

_Dam… I am useless right now. _

"Where was she going with this 'the princess is right here' thing?" The thinner man asked still glaring at Yumi.

The larger man shrugged. "She's trying to trick us." Was the only reason he could come up with.

Yumi rolled over on her back; she gazed up at the starry sky. The crescent moons glow lit up her face. Her cuts were gone and her wrists no longer ached. She prayed that the group won't show up, she prayed that Riko won't put herself in danger for her.

Just then the large black bird flew back onto his master's shoulders. It squawked into his ear. The larger man nodded.

"What is it?" The thinner man asked.

"They are coming."

Like right on que, the team of six came into vision as they walked the mountain's trail. They stood meters away from the two men.

"Get the girl." The larger man ordered.

Nodding, the smaller man did what he was told and grabbed Yumi's hood and pulled her up to a standing position. She gagged as the collar choked her. The thinner man cut at her bounded ankles and shoved her beside the taller man, his hand still holding her hood.

Yumi scanned the group's faces. They all looked so serious, she felt ashamed.

"You bring the princess?!" The larger man asked.

Riko took a step forward. "I am here." She wore the green wig to hide her true black hair. Yumi tried to think of a plan. She needed to save Riko, but she couldn't think of anything.


	7. Chapter 7

"Now give us the girl." Shino said calmly.

The larger man shook his head. "Not yet. We need to check if this is a trick or not." He motioned for the thinner man to go investigate. The thinner man threw Yumi into the larger mans arms as he walked right up to the princess (Riko).

Riko took a step backwards, a terrified expression on her face. She gulped and straightened her posture, trying not to show her fear. The man slowly made his way over to her, studying her. He reached out with his hand but was slapped away by Naruto. Naruto took his place between the man and Riko, his face held a serious expression.

"You can't touch her 'till we get Yu…Riko back." He quickly corrected.

The man snarled and backed away from the child. He glanced back at the larger man, looking for some help. The larger man just sighed and rolled his eyes. Yumi was still in the man's large hands, gripping her arms, so tightly it hurt.

"Alright." He said. "Here is your brat." With a forceful push, he sent Yumi stumbling across the area. She tripped and fell; Naruto caught her and stood her back up. He pulled out his knife and cut through the ropes that bound her wrists.

Yumi smiled gratefully and turned around to see Riko slowly walk over to the other side. She stared to the ground but then raised her head proudly. Yumi held out her hand.

"Don't go! I am the pr-" She was cut off by Shino's hand covering her mouth. Yumi's eyes widened. Shino grabbed her arm with his free hand. Yumi watched as her beloved friend take her place. Yumi wouldn't have it. She struggled to get free from Shino's grasp. But he held tightly. She tried to scream but could not.

Riko stopped in front of the two masked men. They grabbed her arms and bound her wrists together.

Yumi couldn't watch. She couldn't help it, her eyes started to water. This would be the last time she would see her best friend Riko. Her first and only friend, taking Yumi's place. Yumi should be the one being taken away.

Then she started to get pissed. Her blood boiled, fury filled her. She started to get pissed at Shino. Why was he holding her back? Yumi needed to save her friend. She screwed her eyes shut, she clenched her fists, she knew she had to do something, had to say something.

Riko and the two men were just about to disappear off the mountain until they heard a scream. Yumi had bitten Shino's hand; he moved it and she screamed out to Riko.

"STOP!" She screamed, still struggling to get free from Shino.

"Shut up spaz you will ruin everything." Kiba hissed.

Yumi didn't hear Kiba, her head was to full of thoughts. Every second she got even madder.

The sun was starting to rise.

The men turned around. The giant bird squawked rapidly, like it was trying to tell the man something. Riko's eyes widened, she shook her head. _Don't do this Yumi, you will ruin everything._ She thought.

Everyone's eyes were on Yumi. They stared in horror. Shino released Yumi and backed away slowly. Naruto blinked.

Yumi had a glow to her, a glow that lit the area. The light prickled the skin of the people close to her. It felt warm and calming. Her eyes were swollen from the tears but they had a glow to them as well. A bright purple glow.

Yumi slowly raised her hand up to her head. Kiba reached out to stop her but it was too late. She pulled off her black wig, revealing the familiar green hair that Riko once wore. But that was not all. Yumi also tore off her cloak.

Yumi wore a belly top with dangles hanging off of it. Her skin tight shorts were covered by a half skirt that hung off her hip, also baring dangles. Everything she wore was purple. On her top was a picture of a butterfly.

The masked men were confused. They looked at there prisoner then back at Yumi. "What is going on!? How can there be two princesses!!" The thinner man shouted.

"She is not the princess!" Yumi shouted. "I am!"

The bandits exchanged looks. "What is going on here?!" The thinner man was getting pissed at this situation.

The larger man yanked Riko closer to him. He grabber her wig and ripped it from her head, exposing her silky black hair. Riko gasped and looked over to her friend. She felt that she has failed her friend.

The large man scowled. He was about to take the wrong person, his master would have slit his throat. He growled and grabbed Riko's hair by the roots. Riko cried out when the man pulled at her hair, whipping her around.

"RIKO!" Yumi cried out. She dashed towards them.

"If you're not the dam princess then I have no need for you!" The larger man said before throwing Riko near the edge of the cliff. Yumi ran as fast as she could but it was too late. Riko was teetering on the edge but when Yumi held out her hand to take Riko's, Riko lost her balance and fell off the cliff.

Yumi fell to her knees, peering over the cliff, watching her friend disappear into the forest bellow. The sun was rising higher in the sky.

The two men started to walk towards Yumi, the rope ready to bind her. Yumi just continued to stare downwards were she last saw her beloved friend. Tears dripped down to the forest bellow. She clenched her fists.

Hinata took a step forward towards Yumi but Kiba held out his arm in front of her. Hinata looked up to Kiba who just shook his head.

_Riko… Riko is gone… it's all my fault…wait, no…_

Yumi looked over to Shino. She glared at him. _It's HIS fault. He could have saved her. He could have let me tell the men it was me they were after and maybe Riko could have been spared. It's all that dam Shino's fault. _

Yumi closed her eyes. Still not noticing the men closing in on her. She slowly stood to her feet. Her head held down.

"You are coming with us then." Said the larger man reaching out to her.

He was just about to grab her shoulder when Yumi looked over her shoulder at the men. Their eyes widened with fear. Yumi's eyes were glowing. Her pupils disappeared and her eyes were narrowed. A strange energy started to form around her.

"Oh no." The large man said. "Master warned us about this."

They started to back away when Yumi turned on her heals, facing the men. Naruto stared at Yumi. _This energy… could it be that she is… just like me?_


	8. Chapter 8

Kiba's eyes widened. He looked over to Shino. "What's going on?!" Hinata was scared as well.

Yumi glared over to Shino. "YOU!" Her voice had an echo to it. "It's all your fault!" She slowly walked towards Shino. He didn't move.

The thinner man ran in front of Yumi. "You aren't going anywhere! You are coming with us!"

Without hesitation, Yumi put her hand on his shoulder and shoved him to the side. The force of her shoved sent him flying into the rock wall. He slowly stood to his feet and looked over to his partner. The larger man nodded.

Yumi made her way towards Shino. Her power getting stronger in every step. Naruto shivered.

Just then Yumi stopped. She looked around and noticed that a strange barrier was forming around her. It was like a giant cube of a force field. She put her hand to it and got shocked.

The two men laughed. "Our master warned us that this would happen. So we came prepared. This is a special container." The larger man said.

Everyone looked to see seals on each corner on the ground. Yumi bunched at the wall but was only thrown back by the electric shock. She looked over her shoulder at the two men.

"Don't try. Nothing can break through this container. Not even your freaky powers." The thinner man chuckled. "NOW YOU BRATS!" he called out to the group. "You guys better leave! We didn't want to fight but if we have to, you guys won't stand a chance!"

Naruto clenched his fists. Shino tried to think of a plan. He couldn't come up with anything. Hinata looked over to Kiba. He was talking to Akamaru.

Just then Kiba fed Akamaru a pill and he turned into a copy of Kiba. "WE CAN BREAK IT!" Kiba called out. Then as quick as a flash, Kiba and Akamaru spun at a rapid rate and flew right into the containers wall. They spun against it, trying to break through but only ended up getting shocked just like Yumi. The two of them landed on their feet and skidded back over to Hinata. Kiba panted.

"Dam… that thing is tough." He said wiping his mouth.

Naruto gritted his teeth and looked over to the two men. They were laughing. It was Naruto's turn.

Naruto crossed his two fingers and created a clone of himself right beside him. Naruto held out his open hand in front of the clone. The clone started to create a small ball of chakra in Naruto's hand. Then once it was at full power, the clone disappeared with a "poof". Naruto looked over to Yumi who was standing there still glowing with energy.

"I'LL GET YOU OUT YUMI!" He called out. Naruto jumped up into the air towards the wall. "RASANGAN!" He called out as his ball of chakra made contact with the wall.

Yumi looked up and saw Naruto struggling to break through.

"AHAHA DON'T TRY KID!" The larger man shouted. "NOTHING CAN BREAK THROUGH THIS!"

Naruto screamed once the electric shock took place but he didn't give up. He pressed harder against the wall, trying to ignore the pain coursing through his body.

"Naruto." Hinata said.

"NARUTO! STOP THIS!" Yumi shouted out. "Don't waist your life for me!"

Naruto screwed his eyes shut. "I AM BREAKING YOU OUT OF HERE AND THAT'S THAT! I NEVER GIVE UP! THAT'S MY WAY OF THE NINJA!" And with that final word a large "crack" was heard. Naruto had left a crack in the wall.

The two men gasped. This was not possible; nothing should even dent this wall. How can a little boy be able to crack it? But they knew Naruto couldn't be able to break all the way through.

Yumi's eyes widened. She was shaking all over, fearing for Naruto's life. The strength of the electric shock doubled and sent Naruto flying backwards. He skidded across the ground and laid there in silence. Yumi covered her mouth choking back tears. _Is he…?!_ She thought.

Then she felt a strange feeling in the back of her mind, like something or someone was trying to pull her back there. She fell to her knees with a blank expression. Her eye's glow grew brighter and her skin pale. She gripped her forehead like it was in pain, but it wasn't.

Just then Naruto slowly sat up, rubbing his head. "Dammit…" He said under his breath.

"Naruto…" Hinata said relieved. Everyone was relieved, except for the two men in the back.

"That's what you get for trying to break through!" The thinner man shouted.

Kiba took a step forward. "You guys are pissing me off! You just hide! Come out and fight! Or are you scared?" Akamaru barked in agreement.

The thinner man clenched his fists and took a step forward, only to be blocked by the larger mans arm. "Don't… lets leave this to Hitomi…" He nodded towards the black bird, still perched on his bold shoulder.

The bird nodded back and took flight. It flew over the container and landed between Yumi and Naruto. Everyone looked down at the eerie looking animal. It just cocked its head and blinked.

The larger man started to form hand signs. "AKKI TORI JUTSU!"

His voice echoed around them. They all looked to the bird waiting for something to happen, then something did. The bird started to transform. It grew in size but it also started to mutate. Its feathers grew sharp, its eyes narrowed into slits, its beak became jagged and its tail grew long and spiked at the end.

Naruto stood up and blinked at the creature. Everyone prepared themselves. Naruto looked back to the group. "W-what is that?"

Kiba looked down at the now shaking Akamaru. "I dunno but Akamaru says that it is very powerful." Akamaru jumped up into Kiba's coat and buried himself in it.

Hinata shivered in fear but looked past the bird. "Look. There is something wrong with Yumi." She said pointing.

Everyone directed their attention to the princess who was now on her knees. She looked like she was in great pain.

Naruto clenched his fists. "I have to try again."

"Are you nuts?! You almost died. Not to mention there is a giant… monster blocking our way!" Kiba said, trying to knock some sense into Naruto. It wasn't working.

"I don't care. We have to save Yumi. Not only because it's our mission but also because she is our friend." He said taking out a kunai knife.

Shino took a step forward. "We need a plan." Everyone looked over to him.

"W-what can we do?" Hinata asked.

Shino thought for a moment. "Hinata, I need you to help me distract the bird while Kiba and Naruto try to break through the wall."

Hinata nodded. "Okay."

Akamaru poked his head out from under Kiba's coat. "You ready buddy?" Kiba asked. Akamaru nodded slowly.

Naruto took a deep breath in. "ALRIGHT LETS DO THIS!" He was all pumped up.

Shino looked over to Yumi. She was shivering, her skin getting even paler. Then something caught his eye. It looked like rays of light were coming from her back. Maybe it was a trick from the sun, or maybe her sunglasses were fogged. He thought nothing of it and got ready to save her life.

The large bird took a step forward and opened its beak. The horrible cry escaped its mouth. Everyone covered their ears. The sound was horrible. It sounded like hundred of shrieks of people in pain. It started to make them feel dizzy.

Shino got a hold of himself and started to take control. "Lets go." He commanded.

The group nodded and ran right at the bird.

The bird stopped its shriek and watched the ninjas run right at him. It readied itself for the attack.

Shino stopped in his place and held out his arms in front of him. Just then hundreds of insects came crawling out from under his sleeves. They took flight right at the bird.

The bird shrieked in fear as the insects swarm around it. Crawling all over its feathers and into its mouth. It choked and spat, trying to get rid of the insects now entering its mouth.

Hinata stood a few meters in front of the beast. Her bayakugan telling what the bird's next move was. She was ready to warn Shino of anything that the monster might do unexpectedly.

While this was taking place, Naruto and Kiba ran right past the monster.

"NARUTO LOOK OUT! IT'S FOOT!" Hinata shouted.

Naruto looked up and saw that the bird was just about to step on him. He jumped out of the way just in time as its monstrous foot made impact with the ground. Naruto continued to run and the container.

Akamaru jumped out from Kiba's coat and transformed into a replica of Kiba once again. Naruto created a clone of himself that ran beside him. Once again it started to form a ball of chakra in Naruto's palm.

But the bird like creature couldn't have that. It turned its attention to the children planning to break the force field. The bird lowered its head and stepped right between the wall and Naruto. The two of them skidded to a stop and jumped out of the way from the birds other foot, trying to squish them.

"Naruto! DUCK!" Hinata shouted.

Naruto did what he was told and the birds beak just missed his head. The ball of energy in his hand was at full power. His clone didn't disappear though. It was trying to keep the bird occupied as Naruto ran at the wall.

Kiba was also occupied. He kept dodging the bird' attacks. Every dodge came close, this bird moved fast. Hinata's constant warnings kept him on his fete though. Akamaru was also dodging the monsters movements; he was still in the form as Kiba.

Naruto didn't stop running though. He jumped over the bird's tail and right at the wall. "RASANGAN!" he shouted as his jutsu hit the barrier right at the crack he had left before. Once again the electricity shocked Naruto. He looked down at Yumi as his rasangan's energy pressed against the wall.

Naruto knew that there was more to Yumi. He felt like they were the same. That weird energy from before seemed like his own. His eyes widened as Yumi slowly looked up at him. Her skin was white and her eyes glowing a bright violet.

Many things were going through her mind at that moment. But once she saw Naruto risking his life once again for her sake snapped her out of this state of mind. All her thoughts stopped and all attention was on the eager boy. Yumi felt so guilty. She felt that it was all her fault for Naruto's pain. She completely blamed herself for Riko's death. She looked down at her birth mark on her stomach. The crescent moon around her belly button started to glow itself. A strange power filled Yumi's entire body. Her finger tips tingled.

She slowly got to her feet. Her eyes still on the boy.

Kiba watched as his best friend get smacked to the side. Akamaru turned back into himself as he skidded across the ground. He laid there unconscious. Kiba ran to his friend's aid but was only smacked to the side just like the dog. He landed beside Hinata who rushed to his side.

Shino's insects started to swarm around the bird once again. The creature opened its mouth to let out the horrible scream. They covered their ears from the ear splitting screech.

Naruto screwed his eyes shut, trying to block out the unbearable noise. Yumi winced at the sound. She looked up at Naruto once again and saw that he was suffering even more now. Yumi had to do something and something quick.

The princess clenched her fists. She took a step back and readied herself for what she was about to do.

Shino looked over to the barrier. He looked up at Naruto who was still trying to break through. Then his gaze moved over to Yumi. His eyebrows rose. He watched as Yumi jump right at where Naruto was. As she flew towards him Shino saw the strange rays of light come from her back once again.


	9. Chapter 9

Yumi pulled her fist back. She closed her eyes ready for the impact. Then once she thought she was close enough, Yumi punched at the crack with all her might.

Naruto opened her eyes and noticed Yumi right in front of him. Then a loud "crack" was heard once again. Everyone looked up to see that they were breaking through the barrier. Naruto smiled and gave his rasangan one last push before the wall cracked again.

Then the wall itself shattered. Naruto was thrown back from the explosion of the collapsing barrier. The bird took flight and soared above them all. The explosion kicked up dust and soon all their visions were fogged. They couldn't see anything but dust.

Naruto laid there, his body numb and his limbs felt as heavy as lead. The monster bird lowered its flight. Its flapping winds blew the clouds of dust aside and all became clear. Everyone looked back and forth from each other then the looking ahead to see Yumi.

Everyone gasped. Her face was covered in cuts and her arm that she punched with was badly cut as well. She just stood there. Her eyes seemed fogged and she seemed so distant. Yumi raised her hand in front of her, and she studied it.

Everyone blinked in confusion as they watched Yumi's wounds heal. The cuts started to close and her skin became unflawed. The blood still stained her face but not even a bruise was shown. It was like a miracle.

Naruto struggled to sit up but just fell back down, smacking his head hard. Hinata helped Kiba up and rushed over to Naruto. Kiba slowly walked over to Akamaru who was still unconscious. He slowly picked his little friend up and held him in his arms.

The two men were dumbfounded. The monster landed between the men and Yumi, staring down at the princess with its blood red eyes. Yumi was still looking at her hand.

The creature slowly walked up to Yumi, raising its jagged beak. It towered over the princess.

Hinata helped Naruto sit up. The first thing he saw was the bird throw its head down right at Yumi. Its beak ready to cut right through her. "LOOK OUT!" He shouted.

Yumi didn't budge. She continued to stare at her hand. Not blinking and it seemed that she wasn't breathing either. The creature slashed down her shoulder. It jagged beak like a sword cut right down through her arm. It pulled it back out and head butted Yumi towards Shino.

Yumi landed face first right by Shino's feet. Blood pored out from her wound. Shino's hands shook. This wasn't a pleasant sight at all. He slowly kneeled down to his knees. He waited for Yumi to move, speak, anything. _Is she…?_

Everyone looked over to Yumi.

The larger man walked up to the bird. "YOU STUPID BIRD! YOU WERENT SUPPOSED TO KILL HER!" He punched the monster in the side of the head. The bird slowly shrunk back to normal side and flew away.

The smaller man punched the wall beside him. "The master will kill us! How can we face him now?!"

Tears filled Hinata's eyes. Naruto got up to his feet, still looking down at the pale princess.

"Well we have to face him or he will hunt us down. Common lets go." And with that final word the two men disappeared off the mountain.

Everyone stood there in silence. Shino got up to his feet and looked at all of the grieving faces. But then one little sound broke the depressing atmosphere.

Yumi was groaning.

Everyone watched as Yumi slowly pushed herself up to sitting position. Her entire left shoulder was covered in blood.

Everyone ran over and crowded around her. Hinata bent down and checked her wound. There was nothing there. Not even a scar. The skin was perfect except for the stain of blood.

"But how can…?" She looked over to Yumi. The princess's eyes started to focus, the fog disappeared and her normal violet eyes reappeared. Everyone sighed in relief.

Yumi looked up at all the smiling faces. But she didn't return the smiles. She just looked back down at the ground. Grief filled her heart. Her beloved friend was gone forever and it was all her fault. "Riko…" She said under her breath.

Shino looked over to the edge of the mountain where Riko fell off. "Yes Riko I almost forgot…"

"ALMOST FORGOT?!" Yumi stood up. "How can you say something so disrespectful? She risked her life for me…" A tear ran down her cheek.

"No she didn't." Shino said calmly. He looked over to Yumi. Her furious face reflected in his sunglasses.

"What are you talking about?" She said trying not to scream.

Shino raised his arm, pointing to where Riko had fallen to her death. Everyone looked over to where he was pointing and watched as a swarm of bugs fly up from behind the edge and made its way over to the group. The insects hovered above the ground a bit before scattering in different directions. A figure fell to its feet and stood there studying everyone's faces.

Yumi felt heart skip a beat. It was Riko. She was alive. Yumi couldn't hold in her excitement. She jumped into her friends arms and squeezed her tightly, tears dripping down her face.

"I-I can't believe… but I… I saw you fall…" Yumi was so relived to see Riko alive and well.

"Well I didn't fall… a clone created by Shino did. I was down in the forest waiting for you guys to come back. But once I saw my clone fall I started to worry so Shino's…bugs… brought me up here." Riko shivered, remembering the unpleasant feeling of floating on insects. "Yumi you are getting my shirt wet." She giggled.

Yumi let go of her friend and glanced over to the group. She whipped her face and straightened her posture. "Um… thank you… for everything." The princess walked over to Naruto and laid her hand on his shoulder. "You are very powerful for your age. Thank you for breaking me out."

Naruto smiled and blushed slightly. "Hey you're pretty strong yourself."

Yumi returned his smile and walked over to the others. "So the secrets out eh? I'm the princess." She shrugged innocently.

Kiba sighed. "I didn't believe it at first… so shall we continue this mission and get you back to you're castle?"

Yumi nodded.

The walk back down the mountain was awkward for the children. Everyone was wondering the same thing about Yumi. The way she healed so quickly, and the strange power coming from her. It floated in everyone's minds, but no one wanted to ask such a thing.

Yumi was to busy to notice these things. She was too relieved that everything worked out nicely. But one thing did bother her. Why did those men want her? And who was this master they spoke of?


	10. Chapter 10

They spent the rest of the day walking through the forest. Yumi argued with Riko about who should ride the horse. Yumi wanted to walk but Riko said that the princess had a long night and she should ride Hotaru. Eventually Yumi gave up and jumped on the horses back.

Later in the afternoon they noticed that the forest was starting to thin out. Yumi raised her head from the horses main and stared straight ahead. "We're here." She said under her breath.

Everyone looked up at her then straight ahead again. Yumi was right. Once the group broke through the forest the first thing they saw was a giant castle. The white stone shone in the afternoon sun. Many gardens surrounded the kingdom, full of rare flowers. A large village was found at the bottom of the hill where the castle perched on.

"Wow it's so pretty." Hinata said, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"You are so lucky to live here!" Naruto was sucking in the beauty like as sponge.

Yumi rolled her eyes. "It's not that glamorous… it's quite boring actually."

The group made their way up to a gate that had two men standing on either side. They noticed the group walking up to them.

"Princess Itabinei Yumi!" One of the guards said, his face gleaming. He walked up to the horse and held onto the rains. "We are so glad you made it unharmed. The king is very worried about you."

The other guard prepared to open the gate.

Yumi nodded at the man holding her horse. "Well that is expected of my father. He worries too much about me."

"That's because he cares about you princess. You are his only child. And you are to be crowned queen." The man guided the horse through the gates. The group of ninjas followed behind, admiring the view.

Yumi looked to the ground. "Yea I guess you are right." She said silently.

"I am." The guard smiled kindly and held out his hand to help the princess descend the horse. Yumi brushed his hand away and jumped off herself. The guard blinked at her action but he thought that this was expected from Yumi. He walked away with the horse towards a stable near by.

"Daughter! You mustn't descend the beast in such an ungraceful matter."

Everyone looked over to see a large man walking their way. He wore a colourful robe and a long black beard fell past his neck. His bright blue eyes twinkled in the sunlight.

Yumi ran up to the man and wrapped her arms around his round body. He returned the embrace and held out the princess in front of him to get a better look.

"I am so glad to see you well daughter." He smiled warmly.

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Wait so that's the…?"

"The king." Shino finished the sentence.

Yumi turned around and smiled at the group. "This is my father King Mikio." She introduced the circular man behind her.

The group bowed with respect.

"These young ninjas saved my life father." She said winking at the group.

"Did they now?" His voice was boomed. "Well I thank you for protecting my daughter from any harm. What happened exactly?" He turned to Yumi.

"Well…" She was afraid to tell her father exactly what happened. She searched for the right words to say.

"Bandits."

Everyone looked over to Shino. "Bandits attacked us while we sleeping." He said calmly.

The king studied Shino for a moment. "Bandits you say? Well then that_ is_ dangerous." The king looked over to Riko. "Ferica Riko."

Riko stepped forward at the sound of her name and bowed.

"Your father is worried as well. I suggest you go and apologies to him." The king said.

Riko bowed again then waved goodbye to everyone. They waved back and watched as Riko disappear in the distance.

The king turned back to his daughter. "Yumi." His tone was no longer cheerful.

Yumi gulped. She new this was coming.

"I would like to have a word with you." The King said.

Yumi nodded slowly. "Can I say goodbye to my friends first?"

The king nodded and started to walk away. "The payment for your efforts will be awaiting you at the gaits." He said to the young ninjas.

Yumi waited for her father to disappear into the castle. She sighed in relief and turned to her friends. "I am in big trouble."

"What did you do?" Kiba asked.

"Eh heh heh." Yumi didn't answer. She changed the subject quickly. "So thank you for everything you guys." She looked over to Shino. "And quick thinking with the Bandits thing. If my father found out about those two men, he would make such a big deal about it and would never let me leave the safety of the castle again." She rolled her eyes.

"You will be telling him later." Shino said.

"Huh?" 

"This might be a big deal. I suggest you tell your father the truth. That attack might turn into a bug thing." Shino was right. And Yumi knew it. But she didn't want to admit it.

"Psh. Nah it was probably some men after my family riches or something… well once again, thanks a million guys. I had fun." She winked.

Well the mission was fulfilled. The danger was out of the way. The group of children left the kingdom and headed back to there village, thinking that they would never see the strange princess again.

They were wrong.


	11. Chapter 11

Far away in an unknown place, two shivering men slowly walked down a narrow hallway.

"The master will be so ticked." The thinner man said.

The larger man nodded.

The two men made their way to a large door at the end of the hallway. They knocked on its wooden surface.

"Come in."

They flinched at the sound of their master's voice. The two cowardly men opened the door and made entered the gloomy room.

The walls were full of book shelves but no books were found. No windows were around either, only another door was found on the other side of the room. The only light source was a small reading lamp beside a large wooden chair. A man sat in this chair, his legs crosses, tapping his fingers on the arm rest.

The two men walked into the room more before kneeling down on one knee.

"Where is the package?" The mysterious man asked.

The larger man glanced over to his partner then back down at the ground. "We… we couldn't retrieve it."

The eerie man stopped tapping his fingers and uncrossed his legs. "Really? And why is that?"

The two men gulped. "Well we had some difficulties."

No longer sitting on the chair, the mysterious man walked up to the cowardly couple. He towered over them. "I ask you to do something as simple to bring me a child and you fail me?"

The men hesitated. "Yes."

"You know what happens when you fail me right?" He reached into his pocket.

The two men slowly raised their heads.

The mysterious man rubbed the blood off his hands onto his shirt. He brushed back his black, shoulder length hair and turned away from the corpses. He faced the door on the other side of the room.

The boy looked no older then 19. His eyes were blood shot and his unpleasant expression would put any room in a gloomy mood. His left arm was wrapped in bandages.

He slowly walked up to the eerie door and pushed it open. It led to a dark circular room. Many doors circled this room.

The man slowly walked up to the middle of the room. He looked around but no one was there.

"Yesss?"

"My men couldn't retrieve the girl." He tried to hide his fear as best as he can.

The room fell silent. The man's palms were wet from sweat.

"Well judging from the blood on your clothes I can tell that they have failed you." The voice seemed to be coming from all directions.

The man nodded slowly. "I can't trust anyone to do this job. Give me permission to fulfill this mission myself."

"Well, well, well…"

He waited patiently.

"Okay. I will let you retrieve the princess. I trust you."

A large smile spread across the man's face. "I won't disappoint you… Lord Orichimaru."

---

**YES! the first story is done! thats right there will be another story.. maybe three ;) maybe four :O MUHAHA srry this chapter is so short... and srry for my bad writing skills... heh heh oh wellz...**** please read the next story. its waaaaay better then this one. well the story line anyways.. my writing skillz have gotten maybe a BIT better  
oh and if you want to see what Yumi actually looks like i have drawn a pic of her.  
**

**flowerpuff.deviantart**


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